Joseph A. Angotti

More has been written about Robert Montgomery Knight than any active coach in college basketball. Some of it has been critical, some laudatory, and some of it has been untrue. This book does not attempt to describe Bob Knight or to offer an opinion of him. It allows Bob Knight to explain himself.

By taping hours of pre-game and weekly interviews during the 1992-93 basketball season, Bob Knight created an intimate, behind the scenes view of his life as head coach. We find a different Bob Knight in his private locker room before a basketball game than the Bob Knight we know trying to motivate a lagging effort on the basketball court or questioning an official’s call. Knight is often introspective and self critical in this private setting, much different than the taskmaster he is thought to be during a game. Most of the time, Knight uses these interviews to do what he enjoys the most, analyze and teach the game of basketball. No one is better at that than Coach Knight. Even his detractors agree on that.

These shows were not rehearsed, and there were no scripts. Bob Knight is open and spontaneous as he answers questions from veteran announcer Don Fischer and Indiana basketball fans. In the process, he created a history of Indiana basketball and a unique time exposure of himself.

There are no small words to describe Bob Knight. When journalists write about him the adjectives are always towering: intense, brilliant, volatile, contemptible, fiery, arrogant. Bob Knight’s accomplishments place him at the vanguard of college coaches. His basketball technique is highly regarded by other coaches, and his insistent, scorching appearances on the sidelines of basketball games are legendary. Even with the occasionally brutal criticism of Bob Knight from the media, or possibly because of it, when Bob Knight steps on a basketball court before a game he carries an aura of celebrity.

Several books have been written about Knight. John Feinstein’s best seller “A Season on the Brink,” covering Knight during the 1985-86 Indiana basketball season, presents Knight in a one-season capsule. Bob Knight along with Bob Hammel published “Knight: My Story” in 2002 which covers among other things the troublesome termination as Indiana basketball coach. But there is not much written about the years in between. These were transitional years in an exceptional career as head basketball coach and teacher at Indiana University.

This is the second in a series that will describe eight years of Bob Knight and Indiana basketball, game by game, week by week, in Bob Knight’s own words. By taping over 350 “Bob Knight Pre-game Shows” and “Bob Knight Talk Shows” for broadcast on the Indiana basketball radio network, Bob Knight explains himself over this sometimes turbulent period. Coach Knight answered questions spontaneously and openly from veteran Indiana play-by-play announcer Don Fischer or from Indiana basketball fans. In the process, he gave the listener, and now the reader, insight into Knight the man as well as the coach. He gives a behind-the-scenes view of what it is like to run one of the leading college basketball programs in the country.

In these radio shows, Knight is talking directly to Don Fischer, Indiana basketball fans, and occasionally, to his players. His comments are not filtered through the media. Most of the time, Knight is teaching, instructing, and explaining the game of basketball. His approach is much different than it is in a press conference, and his message is communicated clearly and concisely.

Radio is the most intimate of all of the mass media. Unlike television, radio requires no lights, no cameras and no trips to a studio. Many of these interviews were recorded in Knight’s private locker room. Bob Knight is not alone when he says he finds radio the most direct means of explaining thoughts, ideas and concepts to a mass audience.

Among other things, Bob Knight’s sense of humor is revealed on these radio programs, occasionally at Don Fischer’s expense. Yes, Bob Knight has a sense of humor. Television analyst Dick Vitale thinks “Knight is one of the funniest guys in the business, but not many people see that side of him.” One listener asked Coach Knight why he looked so angry on a basketball court. Knight responded, “Well, we have a problem. The chair I sit in is broken, and if I sit in it the wrong way it pinches me.”

When Art Angotti assumed the contract for the Bob Knight Talk Show in 1992, he was surprised to learn that previous shows were not archived. So he and his assistant, Judy Rogers, began to tape, transcribe and copyright each show beginning with the 1992-93 basketball season. The contract with Coach Knight continued for eight years, through the final season that Bob Knight coached at Indiana University. Now, after ten years of sitting in a file cabinet, these transcripts are brought to you to enjoy and ponder.

Knight is now building another successful basketball program at Texas Tech University. His replacement, Mike Davis, has established himself as Head Basketball Coach at Indiana. Myles Brand, former president of Indiana University, is now head of the NCAA, and Clarence Doninger, former Athletic Director at IU has resumed a successful law practice. The resentment and anger that filled the air when Knight left Indiana has settled somewhat, and it is time to bring this publication to light to pay tribute the 1993-94 team and to once again hear Bob Knight’s views on Indiana Basketball.

This is Bob Knight, in his own words.

Joseph A. Angotti
Professor and Chair
Broadcast Program
Medill School of Journalism
Northwestern University